


Falling For You

by holyknights



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Oblivious Pining, im here to push my own hyper specific dimiashe hcs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:55:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26922475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holyknights/pseuds/holyknights
Summary: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and Ashe Ubert might not have been the most experienced people when it came to understanding their feelings - much less expressing them to others - but a simple change in routine might be the only push they need to set them on the right track towards figuring it out.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Falling For You

**Author's Note:**

> the lack of dimiashe convinced me to finally polish up this idea i had written for a couple months but was always too shy to post before... i have a few other scenes in mind as well but im quite a slow writer so i probably cant promise that i'll able to update very often or consistently lol, but i at least wanted to share this first chapter since im finally satisfied with how its turned out :)

‘ _It is_ much _too late to keep studying,_ ’ Dimitri finally had to admit to himself as his head jerked back on reflex for what was probably the hundredth time that night, this time mere inches away from falling into the textbook he was reading. Or at least was attempting to read... it seemed understanding of the text evaded him no matter how many paragraphs he forced his tired eyes to skim over again and again. He rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand as he stole a glance at his bed, which was looking ever-so-enticing at the moment; a nagging part in the back of his head wanted him to just blame his struggles on the lack of sleep and vow to revisit the material in the morning with a clear head, but he knew better than to ignore how he'd been having trouble with the unfamiliar work since the first day it was assigned to him.

Not only had he accidentally snapped several of the training bows he’d tried to use for the first time, even when he was _sure_ he was being mindful of his strength, he could barely even _hit_ the target, not a single shot coming close to the center ring in any of his sparse attempts. Thankfully the cost to have the bows repaired didn’t amount to much, but he didn't want the habit to continue to inconvenience other students - or, Goddess forbid, turn into one that would cause him to mess up on the battlefield.

Determined not to let that happen, Dimitri had poured himself into his studies to solve his shortcomings ever since those awful first few days of training, believing that he just needed to familiarize himself with the material for it to truly sink in. But doing so was easier said than done he quickly discovered during that night of squinting down in confusion at the archery lessons textbook he had checked out that day. It seemed like every time he got close to understanding, a new concept that was completely unrelated to the first was thrown his way. It was nothing like the commanding tactics he had spent the first semester - and his entire life - learning.

Dimitri frowned with a frustrated sigh as he tore his gaze away from the textbook; honestly, what was the professor _thinking_ , assigning him archery lessons so late into the semester, long after the other archers in his grade had already begun their more advanced training for that matter? He had been puzzled at first when professor told him he could easily get a handle on the new subject, but found himself smiling and eagerly nodding with promises not to fail them when they spoke so undoubtedly of their faith in his skills at learning so quickly. _‘I believe you’ll have no trouble catching up with the other students,'_ they had said, their face as stone cold as usual but their eyes sparkling with admiration, as they swept a hand in gesture to the other Blue Lions who were busy packing up and leaving class for the day while they informed him of his goal change. _‘especially when you have such talented classmates to fall back on.’_

A scowl crept onto Dimitri’s face as he recalled the conversation from no longer than a week ago. Part of him wanted to doubt the professor’s rationale, to wonder if they were wrong to give him such praise, but he knew it wouldn’t be productive. Instead he had to figure out how to solve the problem he had found himself in.

He stole a glance at the textbook open on his desk; perhaps he could go to the library and see if they had any other books on the subject to help him understand? His nose scrunched up at the thought of having to read even _more_ confusing paragraphs, but his only other option besides that was to heed the professor’s advice and ask someone to help him with the material. And considering his disdain for the former option, the latter definitely seemed more desirable at first consideration. But it wasn't as if the thought of asking for help hadn’t entered his head before; the problem was that the first person he first considered asking for assistance was the best archer in the Blue Lions, Ashe Ubert. And when it came to Ashe, he often found himself getting… distracted.

Whenever he had studied or been assigned to do chores with Ashe his focus always drifted away from the task at hand to his classmate’s snorting laughter in response to the half-hearted jokes Dimitri would mutter under his breath in the library, to the gentle smile he wore when he told stories about the alley cat he had most recently fed and befriended, to the bright glimmer in his green eyes that showed up every time he looked at him in greeting... Dimitri wasn't quite sure why he only felt that distracted giddiness when in the company of his silver-haired classmate, but he knew from past experience at least that he wouldn't learn much if he were to be tutored by Ashe. But maybe it wouldn’t _hurt_ to at least ask for pointers, even if it meant he’d get distracted in the end…?

A small smile slipped on Dimitri’s face at the thought of another failed studying session over tea with Ashe, but it quickly turned into a wince as a sharp pain bit at the back of his neck. He rolled his neck and sighed at the sound of his joints popping as he realized that he'd been leaning his head back against his chair and staring at the ceiling for a good minute as his thoughts wandered to his classmate. Getting lost in thought like that only proved that he needed to take his studies more seriously, he supposed. 

"Hopefully the library is still open," Dimitri muttered with only a hint of disdain as he pushed away from his desk.

* * *

The library was, in fact, miraculously open despite the hour, solely populated by a handful of students too buried within their studies to pay any mind to Dimitri as he searched the bookshelves for the archery textbooks he needed. His fingers idly ran over the spines of the books as he wandered along the shelves, only to pause his search once he noticed the books on the lower shelves were for more advanced lessons and tactics. That meant the easier lessons would be on the upper shelves instead. No wonder he struggled so much with the first book he picked from the nearest shelf... Dimitri stifled a sigh as he grabbed the ladder and tugged it to where he needed to climb up to; there was no use in dragging his feet, he would save his complaints and just grab a book and be done with it for the night.

"Good evening, Your Highness!"

A familiar voice - sounding far too chipper than it should for anyone up this late, Dimitri thought - startled him as he was little more than halfway up the ladder. Peering over his shoulder, his eyes widened at the sight of just the person he should have been avoiding. Ashe looked up at him with a bright smile that was still visible even behind the large stack of books he was holding in his arms. Dimitri worried his lip between his teeth as he wondered how exactly he was going to get the book he needed without Ashe noticing. He could tell exactly how it would go if his classmate found out what he was searching for: Ashe, ever the helpful friend he was, would be overjoyed to learn the prince was training with something he himself was proficient in, and he would insist on trying to help him with the material, and Dimitri knew would never be capable of turning him down when he got so eager to please. Ashe was kind almost to a fault, and Dimitri wouldn't take issue with it if it weren't for the fact Ashe only seemed to want to help _him_ because he saw it as some duty he owed to the prince of Faerghus. If Ashe viewed him as an equal and let Dimitri help him in return, perhaps he wouldn't be so hesitant to confess his troubles and ask for his assistance… But for the time being, he had to find a way out of this situation, if only to save his failing grades.

"Ah, hello Ashe," Dimitri didn’t need to fake the smile he gave in return, despite how weary he felt. "What brings you to the library at this hour?"

"I thought I would stop by and return the books I had finished reading," Ashe lifted the impressive stack in his arms, “that way I wouldn’t have to tomorrow. What about you, Your Highness?”

Dimitri paused to consider his response, turning back to survey the shelves while he tried to think of an excuse. Perhaps if he acted like he was in a hurry Ashe wouldn't pry into his answer too much.

"Oh, I just needed to... grab a book for this assignment I hadn't finished yet!” He waved his hand in the air as his eyes swiftly scanned the shelves in search of the books on archery. His fingers impatiently tapped against the wooden ladder beneath him. “Truly irresponsible of me to wait this long to get it done, haha..."

Ashe let out a hum, seemingly oblivious to Dimitri’s impatient behavior. "Perhaps I could help you look for it? If you're having trouble finding it that is."

"Ah, thank you but that won't be necessary," Dimitri quickly supplied, eyes widening and a satisfied hum leaving him as he spotted a book out of the corner of his eye, one of the beginner's textbooks on archery. "Ah, it seems I've found it!"

_‘That should convince him to leave,’_ Dimitri thought to himself as he leaned off the ladder to reach towards the book with an outstretched arm. _‘Now to just grab it and be done with this,’_ He was too preoccupied with the thought of finally being able to leave and return to his room and to the bed waiting for him he didn't hear Ashe's warning until he was already dangling dangerously far off the side of the ladder.

"Oh - wait, the ladder isn’t-!"

Dimitri let out what was undoubtedly a very undignified yelp as the ladder lurched away behind him and his fingertips brushed the edge of the book just before he started to fall. He panicked and squeezed his eyes shut to brace for the landing, only to slowly open them when the floor ended up being... softer and more wobbly than he anticipated. The books Ashe had been holding were now scattered across the floor, freeing his hands so he could catch Dimitri with an 'oof', lurching forward under his weight and nearly dropping them both to the ground. Instead he managed to right himself before that could happen, and he stared down at Dimitri with wide, worried eyes and practically shouted into his face, "Your Highness! Are you alright?"

It took a moment for Dimitri to truly register the position he had found himself in, but the voice in the back of his head easily supplied that he should be embarrassed by the spectacle of him falling and Ashe's raised voice that had no doubt caught the attention of everyone else in the otherwise-silent library. But that thought went unheard, as all Dimitri could focus on when he fully opened his eyes was Ashe's arms curled protectively around his shoulders and under his knees, conjuring up an image in his mind of Ashe as a shining knight like the ones in the novels he'd see him read practically every day, and Dimitri as the fair noble he had just narrowly rescued from danger. The second thing Dimitri’s attention was drawn to was the way Ashe's eyes widened even more in shock, rather than worry, and the light flush that covered his freckles. Dimitri half expected to feel disappointment at losing the sight of the usual adorable smile Ashe wore whenever he looked at him, but he found himself captivated by the sight instead. An unexpected urge to raise his hand and cup Ashe's cheek in reassurance jumped into Dimitri's head, but he wasn't given the time to even contemplate it, much less admonish himself for thinking such an embarrassing thought, before Ashe was rushing to set him back onto his feet. As soon as his hands were free he snapped them up to his chest to fiddle with the drawstrings on his hoodie, eyes jumping to stare at anything but Dimitri as he stuttered out an apology.

"Oh goodness, I'm sorry Your Highness! T-That was... improper of me."

As if he were suddenly broken out of a spell, all the warmth was drained out from Dimitri and replaced by the cold lingering feeling of where Ashe’s hands had been holding him not a moment ago as well as the stares of all the other students sitting nearby. His shoulders stiffened as he awkwardly cleared his throat and clasped his hands in front of himself, trying to retain some semblance of nobility in his appearance despite the situation at hand. 

"It... pay it no mind, Ashe." He waved his hand, eyes staring just past Ashe as he found himself too flustered to look him in the face. His gaze dropped to the ground only to see the scattered books at their feet, and let out a soft "oh" as he fell to his knees to gather them up, hastily followed by Ashe who gave yet another whispered apology.

"It's quite alright, Ashe," Dimitri murmured with a shake of his head. He couldn’t tell whether he was more embarrassed by… whatever had just occurred, or Ashe’s constant apologizing for it. "If anything I should be the one apologizing for inconveniencing you like this."

"Oh, it wasn't an inconvenience! I'm just glad you're alright." Dimitri couldn’t help but sneak a quick glance at Ashe's face at that and sucked in a breath at the shy grin he wore, his eyes too preoccupied by the books strewn about the floor to notice Dimitri watching him. It was the same smile he wore whenever Dimitri praised his work, lopsided and with the barest hint of a fang poking out on his bottom lip. It looked much better than usual with the tinge of pink coloring his cheeks... When Dimitri realized he was staring he blinked and hastily gathered the rest of the books in his arms and stood straight up to hand them over. But as Ashe took the stack with a polite thank you, he paused and scrutinized the book on the top of the stack in his hand.

"Um, this isn’t one of my books… Is this the book you were looking for? I saw it fall off the..."

Ashe's words trailed off as his eyes quickly went from the cover of the book to Dimitri and back, confusion on his face morphing to excitement.

"Are you training with bows now?" Dimitri sighed and wrung his hands; he couldn't lie to Ashe when he was looking up at him so endearingly. 

"I am, the professor transferred me to archery just last week." Dimitri rubbed the back of his neck with a strained smile. “Unfortunately I’ve found the material much harder to grasp than I anticipated, so I came here to look for something to assist with that.”

Ashe enthusiastically rocked on his feet, clutching the stack of books close to his chest. Dimitri was impressed with how quickly the other boy’s earlier nervousness had disappeared, but was glad for how it cleared the awkwardness in the air between them anyways.

"Well, Your Highness, if you ever need some advice I would be happy to offer my help," Ashe seemed to realize what he'd suggested as he ducked his head and stuttered out an excuse. "Ah, but I’m sure you can do just fine with this!" He handed the archery textbook over to Dimitri with a shy grin. “Since you’re a fast learner, and you’re already very precise with lances!”

Dimitri let out a soft laugh, his cheeks warming at the praise as he accepted the book. He couldn’t help but find the sight of Ashe equal parts excited and flustered quite endearing. "Thank you, Ashe. But I still have quite a lot to learn, and I’m sure my skills are nothing compared to your own."

It was Ashe’s turn to flush at his words. “Oh, no, I just have more experience with bows, that’s all! I certainly wouldn’t mind giving you tips, if you need it however!”

Completely distracted by the charming display of Ashe stumbling over his words as he offered his help, Dimitri smiled and opened his mouth and spoke with complete earnestness, despite saying the exact opposite of what he should have said in response. “I would appreciate that, seeing as I have a lot to catch up on.” The voice in the back of his head was once again reprimanding him for letting himself get so caught up in the moment that he was setting himself up to fall into the exact problem he came to the library to to avoid, but for the second time that night he ignored that voice and simply let himself get swept along by the poorly-hidden excitement clear in his friend’s voice.

“Great! Perhaps we could meet up after class tomorrow, then?” Ashe asked with a tilt of his head.

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll see you then Ashe!” Dimitri lifted his hand in a little wave as he began to leave, book tucked underneath his arm. The smile on his face didn’t leave until he was well away from the library and the cold night wind had begun to bite at his still-warm cheeks.

_‘Perhaps that could have gone better,’_ he thought to himself, despite not feeling the slightest disappointment with how the night had turned out.


End file.
